Getting Close With An ID Card And Printer Solution
Zebra Technologies Corporation announced its partnership with cards & more LP has resulted in a new integrated system for producing personalized, state-of-the-art proximity cards. cards & more LP is a systems integrator of smart card business solutions and provides turnkey ID badge and access control systems solutions. With its focus on contactless chip technology, combined with one-process graphic personalization, cards & more delivers complete smart card access control application solutions to companies worldwide.
According to industry analysts, the use of contactless smart cards for access control applications is accelerating. Embedded in these cards is a metallic antenna coil, which allows them to communicate with an external antenna. Referred to as "prox" cards, because they require only close proximity to an RF antenna, the cards are read in less than a second. Because the cards do not have to be swiped, or passed by a "line-of-sight," they can be read while being carried in a pocket, wallet or handbag. The ability to read cards in this manner facilitates access without the delays associated with removal of the card from pocket or purse in order to swipe it through a card reader.
"Our installed base of thousands of cards & more customers includes such interesting applications as access control for Formula One racing events worldwide. Various types of contactless smart cards, including complimentary guest passes, race team season passes, and VIP Paddock passes are part of a total access solution. Combining quality products, with our experience, service and support makes this a winning solution for our customers," said Peter Lippold, president of cards & more LP.
Rain, extreme temperatures, dirt and dust do not affect the functionality of the cards or card readers. Because of their durability, and since they can be reprogrammed, prox cards do not have to be replaced nearly as often as traditional access control cards.
cards & more uses Zebra's Eltron plastic card printers, including MaxSecure ID Printing Systems and Eltron P Series printers to personalize proximity cards of all types. The printers use cards & more's integrated contactless smart card encoding station, permitting the cards to be printed and encoded in one process. The printers personalize the encoded cards with a name, location, phone number, or whatever text or image the application calls for.
"Combining Eltron card printers with cards & more's contactless smart card encoder and extensive knowledge and experience in prox card technology provides customers with the best of both worlds," said Holly Sacks, vice president of marketing for Zebra's card printer business. "With the accelerating growth of proximity card applications, our partnership with cards & more will allow more customers to deploy prox card solutions faster, confident in the knowledge that we are working together to implement their applications reliably." cards & more recently demonstrated its proximity card personalization solutions using Eltron card printers at CardTech/SecurTech '99 in Chicago.